GOODBYE Daisy

Author Stephanie Nimmo describes her heartbreak at losing a child, and the book it inspired her to write as her daughter’s legacy

- Stephanie Nimmo

On 31 January 2017, I made a decision that no mother should ever have to make... I told the doctors not to attempt further resuscitation and stop my daughter’s life support. She was 12.

Daisy Rose was born on 14 December 2004. She was a much-wanted fourth child, but it was clear from the outset there was something very wrong. Not long after her premature birth, she was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease called Costello syndrome. She was very ill and the doctors didn’t know if she’d make her first birthday; the only thing they could guarantee was that she’d live a shortened life and probably not reach adulthood. We were shaken to the core; from then on, our lives changed. I gave up a successful marketing career in order to care for Daisy, and our other children, who were seven, five, and two at the time.

Daisy taught me so much – primarily, that in life the little things are really the big things. When you spend months in hospital with a sick child, you no longer take for granted those precious moments together as a family – sitting on the couch watching a film, or gathering to share a meal.

Daisy defied the odds. She became a sassy, determined little girl. She adored her siblings, loved socializing with her school friends, and became the center of our family. She’d bounce back from awful setbacks – sepsis, uncontrollable epilepsy, and 10-hour surgeries, grabbing life with both hands, and the biggest smile.